Maybe There's Still Hope
by 0147258369
Summary: This certainly isn't the life she pictures for herself, especially after her success and relationship with Governor Burrell. But after a few months of living it, it was suddenly hard to remember what her life had been like before.


Sarah winces and presses her palm to the side of her extended belly, momentarily pausing her in her walk out the backdoor onto the back deck. The pain is sudden and sharp, and though it passes quickly it still leaves her momentarily breathless. Regaining her breath, she brushes it aside as an errant elbow or knee that caught her off guard and smoothes out the long sleeve Bon Temps Sheriff's Department shirt over her very pregnant belly before continuing on her way out the sliding glass door. She steps out into the unseasonably chilly fall Louisiana weather and folds her arms over her chest as she smiles at the sight of Jason Stackhouse in the backyard; chopping firewood and inadvertently unaware of her troubles.

This certainly isn't the life she pictures herself in, especially after her success and relationship with Governor Burrell, but after a few months of living it it was suddenly hard to remember what her life had been like before. After her late night rendezvous with Jason, Sarah found out she was pregnant and knew in her heart of hearts that there was no way her baby was Burrell's. It left only one other option, and she reluctantly stood on his doorstep. She hadn't expected to be welcomed especially with her track record, but Jason being the hometown southern boy he was couldn't turn her away on good conscience. Sarah moved in the following week after getting all of her things from the Governor's mansion. It was no fairytale, and the first few weeks had been spent in nothing more but silent tolerance as the two went through an adjustment period filled with the growing pains of learning to live together. However, as they fell into a routine any walls that had been put up by either party slowly began to crumble—especially as Sarah's middle began to go from toned and flat to round with their child. Now, with just under a month to go they had somehow managed to form a friendship rather than undemanding companionship.

Jason stands a few yards away near the chopping block. Though the air is crisp and chilly, he's sweating and has long since removed his t-shirt to wrap around his head to keep the sweat from his eyes—a trick he learned long ago while working construction. The ripple of his muscles with each laborious swing of the axe is enough to take Sarah's mind off the pressure in her belly. She doesn't even know how captivated she is until she begins to taste blood and realizes she's had her lower lip wedged between her teeth. Running her tongue over her bottom lip, she looks down at the railing momentarily. Her hormones are out of whack; she knows that's what has her so flustered at the oddest times. The only dignity she can muster comes from the fact that prior to pregnancy she would still find the scene before her sexy. They've had sex on numerous occasions, but Sarah refuses to call it making love. In the back of her mind, she knows that there's no real love there and though she'll never voice it she fears that Jason only allows her into his bed to appease her.

She's so consumed in her own thoughts that she doesn't notice Jason cease his work to look at her expectantly. He calls out to her, "Everything ok?"

Sarah jumps at his voice and shifts her weight nervously. She tries to remember why she had come out here at all, but the pang returns and her palm quickly falls back to the spot. Jason notices and teeters between dropping the axe and rushing over or keeping a respectful distance. She swallows hard, pushing the pain from her thoughts once more before remembering the intention behind her venture outside to begin with.

"Um, I was just wondering what you wanted for dinner. I was gonna start it…"

Jason shrugs with a look of indifference, "Whatever you want is fine, I'll eat it." Sarah nods and gently rubs the spot where the pains are primarily from. She's about to turn on her heel and head back in when Jason calls out to her once more, "You sure you're ok?"

There's a look of genuine concern on his face, and his voice is gentler—like the old Jason. Since she moved in his tone had been clipped and business like with everything from dinner suggestions to doctor's appointment times. Rarely did she catch a glimpse of post-vampire eradication Jason. The simple southern young man she had fallen in love with years earlier at the _Fellowship_. There had been a time then when this is exactly what Sarah wanted—a life with him. However, this wasn't how she wanted it—never how she wanted it. She tries to avoid looking at his face because she fears tears will start and there's only so much she can blame on pregnancy hormones.

She nods and forces her best reassuring smile as she asks, "Chicken and rice ok?"

Jason's features ease—but only a little. He hesitates as he looks her up and down as if trying to really unwrap her. "Sure." He nods. "I'll be in in a minute."

Sarah nods, "Ok."

With that Jason hoists the axe up onto his shoulder to resume his work. He hasn't cut wood nor lit the fireplace this time of year since he could remember, but it was just something more to add to the anomalous year he'd been put through. His sister was unwillingly betrothed to the vampire who'd killed his parents, he'd met his great great great grandfather—who happened to be a Fae just like Sookie—Louisiana was eradicating vampires daily, Bill Compton was some sort of Jesus of Vampires, and to put the icing on the cake he'd not only slept with Sarah Newlin again but he'd gotten her pregnant. He hasn't felt this un-controlling of his life since he'd gone searching for answers at the _Fellowship of the Sun_. But if Jason Stackhouse is anything, he's a man of his word. He'd been a willing party in the act that landed him in the situation he was in and fifty-percent guilty of the results of that night.

He's done the right thing by letting Sarah move in with him and take care of her. If he didn't who would? Burrell had dismissed her from his presence the moment she told him—something Sarah obviously hadn't seen coming before showing up on Jason's doorstep with a tearstained face and duffle bag in hand. Jason lifted another piece of wood onto the cutting block before bringing the axe down and slicing the piece in two with precision of someone who's chopped would for years. It's hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he was going to be a father in a few weeks and even harder to do so around the fact that he is having a baby with Sarah. He still sticks by his words—she's nice enough once he gets passed all the hate and crazy, but this isn't exactly how he saw his life. The first few weeks were uncomfortable, but now they were living in simple companionship. His reasoning being it is easier than letting their feelings get involved when both know had they been more careful they would more than likely never have seen each other again aside from Sarah's image on television. They've been intimate on occasions, but Jason always tries to keep it casual knowing that if it weren't for Sarah's hormonal drive she wouldn't seek relief in his bed.

Wiping his brow, he looks at the substantial pile he's created. His intention is to have more than enough to last them the winter should the chill in the air be a precursor for the winter to come. The last thing he needs is to be running out and chopping would with a newborn inside. He stacks the wood before gathering a good armful and heading back into the house. Setting the wood near the door, she brushes his hands on his jeans feeling the chill overtaking him now that his body has cooled down, but the thin film of sweat remains. He tugs on his t-shirt before sliding open the door and stepping inside into the warmth of his home. The smell of the beginnings of dinner is already filling the small home and it's intoxicating since Jason really hasn't eaten since breakfast.

All thoughts of hunger slip from his mind however, when his eyes fall onto Sarah. She's standing with her back to him at the kitchen counter near the stove. Her chin's pressed into her chest and even from there Jason can see the whites of her knuckles as she grips the edge of the linoleum. This time there's no refuting it, he knows something's not alright as she tried to feign earlier. It's too early for labor, but the idea isn't all that ridiculous since babies came when babies wanted to come. Knowing jumping to conclusions might just make things worse, Jason tries to approach her gently.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Jason walks around the island in the center of the kitchen and places a hand gently on Sarah's back.

"I'm fine." Sarah assures him once more before pushing herself away from the counter, resisting the urge to double over in pain. "Baby's just really kicking."

Jason looks at her plastered on smile doubtfully. "It's never hurt this much before." He can see past the smile to her face underneath.

"I'm fine." Sarah assures him, moving back to stir the rice in the pot. "Baby's getting bigger, so the kicks are bigger," She rationalizes offering him a wider smile and swallowing the groan doing its best to escape her lips.

Jason studies her for a moment before sighing and scratching the stubble on his cheek. He's sure she would tell him if something was really wrong, so with slight hesitation he lets her know he's jumping in the shower and he'll be out in a minute. She nods and assures him once more she's fine and that by the time he gets out dinner will be done. Jason isn't oblivious to way Sarah pushes her food around plate taking intermittent small bites with her hand now permanently placed on the underside of her belly. When they finish dinner, Jason takes it upon himself to clean up.

"Why don't you go take a shower?" Jason suggests.

He keeps his tone indifferent, knowing that if something was truly wrong she would have told him. He doesn't want her to feel like he's smothering her protectively or that he doesn't trust her judgment. She silently agrees with a simple head nod and he watches her head off to the bathroom across from his bedroom. He frowns at the door for a moment before hearing the shower start, and he moves to the sink to tackle the mess there.

Sarah is grateful for the privacy as she leans against the shower wall. The hot water combined with the cool contrast of the tiles feels great on her sore muscles, but at the same time the pains hold her mind captive. They're much too sporadic in nature to be contractions of any sort and the pain hasn't increased but rather has remained constant. She internally battles her judgment whether or not to tell Jason; she doesn't want to bother him with something that could be as insignificant as the baby lying in an odd position. She finds the strength to shampoo her hair and get through the rest of her shower before stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her.

Her mind is so preoccupied, and she chooses to focus solely on breathing in and out that she nearly runs right into Jason outside the bathroom door. The two end up playing shadow for a moment as they try to dodge each other before a small whine escapes Sarah's lips and the hand not clutching the towel falls on it's now infamous position on her belly. Jason purses his lips and looks at her expectantly.

"Sarah, you're not ok." He says with a hint of admonishment, as she leans against the wall her face waning of its resilience to show no emotion. "What's wrong?"

"I'm—"

Jason cuts her off before she can get the words out, "If you tell me you're fine one more time, I'm throwing you in the car just like this—towel and all—and I'm bringing you to the hospital."

Sarah's left the high hair, power suits, and heels long behind in lieu of her natural soft looping golden locks, Jason's old t-shirts and running shorts, and flip flops—at this point comfort trumps everything. However at the simple threat of sporting just a towel that barely covers her to begin with, Sarah's charade seems to collapse a bit. She bites her lip and waits for the pain to pass before sucking in a deep breath.

"I don't know." Sarah breathes out. "I don't think it's labor, but I just keep having these weird pains—"

"You're in _pain_?!" Jason says trying to keep his voice even and at an acceptable level. The last thing she needs is to feel like he's mad at her—especially if something is wrong. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sarah worries her lip and shakes her head with a little shrug. She doesn't want to tell him that she feared to be a bother because she now feels foolish seeing that genuine look of concern on his face again. Jason takes a breath to calm his nerves before his mind begins to race—he needs to keep his composure so as not to worry her anymore than she more than likely already is. Years of being a cop have given him the ability to keep a stoic face that gives off the impression he has everything under control.

"OK, why don't we get you into some clothes and just go on down to the hospital just to be sure?" He suggests.

She nods, no longer able to rationalize staying put any longer. They slip into the guest room, which had become Sarah's, and Jason moves about the unfamiliar room looking for something for her to wear. Sarah stays rooted to the spot in the center of the room, the simple thought of having to dress is almost inconceivable at the moment. Jason finally finds a pair of boxers and grabs the long sleeve shirt she had on earlier. He holds them out to her and Sarah shakes her head.

"Sarah, this isn't a fashion show." Jason says sternly thrusting the clothes at her once more.

Sarah scoffs and pushes the shorts away taking the shirt, "Those are yours."

Jason looks down and realizes the mistake. He tosses the boxers back onto the floor before grabbing a pair of sweatpants he's seen her wear on numerous occasions. She welcomes the white oversized sweats and Jason turns to leave to give her some privacy. When he walks back in he finds her in the same position he left her, having made no advancement in dressing. He frowns and walks over, taking the sweatpants from her hands he crouches down at her feet and gathers them to hold out for her to step into. For a moment, he thinks she's going to protest and he squelches anything she's about to say.

"Sarah, I've seen it all before," He reminds her as she clutches her towel tighter.

She hesitates sucking on her lower lip, but lets the towel fall before placing her hands on his shoulders to act as leverage and balance as she steps into the sweatpants. Jason then stands and eases the shirt over her head. Sarah doesn't even bother to brush her hair and instead twists it up into a messy loose bun—at the moment her appearance is the last thing she cares about. Everything in the house is left as it is as Jason hooks his arm around her waist from behind and begins guiding her out of the house to the car.

Its slow progress to the sheriff's squad car parked in the driveway; even though there are intermittent moments without pain, Sarah fears that if she moves to fast it could make whatever this is worse and Jason seems to share that fear though they never voice it. Jason opens the passenger side door before gently helping Sarah into the seat. She assures him she can buckle herself and Jason closes the door before nearly sprinting around the front of the car to the driver's side. He climbs in and closes the door only to realize he forgot the keys. He offers her an apologetic look as he climbs out of the car and races up the drive, taking the front steps two at a time and bursts back into the house. Sarah is caught up in a pain as Jason comes running back out; leaping entirely off the front porch and sprinting to the driver's side. He slipped right in through the open door and closes it while starting the ignition.

"Sorry," He apologizes again. "Sorry. Here."

He offers her his hand seeing the pain on her face she has done her best to hide for the past few hours. She looks at it, but doesn't think twice as she takes it doing her best to squeeze as gently as she can. Jason's happy they took the patrol car, because even with the emergency lights off people tend to get out of his way and they make perfect time to the hospital. He also takes the liberty of calling ahead to let them know they are on their way—a perk of being impregnated by the beloved town Sheriff and high school athletic hero is people tend to bend over backwards for them, even if they hate her (which most in Bon Temps do). He pulls the car right up to the ER doors, throws it in park and is out and around to her side before she even gets her seatbelt off.

"Ok, easy." Jason says as he helps her out.

A young blonde nurse comes walking out with a calm demeanor and placating smile pushing a wheelchair. With the help of the nurse Jason guides Sarah into the chair. Jason slips his hand into hers once more and walks in-step with the wheelchair as the nurses pushes Sarah through the mechanical doors. The ER is surprisingly crowded for a simple Tuesday evening, but the nurse pushes Sarah right to the front desk where they get a bit of information about her medical history and the situation at hand from her before saddling her wrist with a hospital bracelet. The nurse assures Jason he can tag along to the exam area where Sarah is transferred onto a bed, and she promises them that the doctor will be in to see them in a matter of minutes. Jason nods and thanks her for her help, and Sarah notices the young woman's smile lingering for a moment before she draws the curtain around them. Sarah feels a little twinge of jealousy, but quickly brushes it away in lieu of small talk.

"You know her?"

Jason, whose sight lingers on the curtain the woman has just disappeared behind snaps his head towards her and the smile that has been on his face vanishes as he quickly turns his attention back on her. He doesn't answer her right away and instead opts to duck out to grab one of the plastic chairs from the wall across from their little enclosed area. When he returns, he sets the chair beside her bed and offers her his hand once more. Sarah chooses to keep her hands locked together in place on the underside of her belly, and the gesture doesn't go unnoticed by Jason.

"I just went to high school with her," Jason says..

There's a hint of justification in his tone that he didn't intend, and he frowns at himself. Sarah keeps her eyes down on her belly trying to concentrate on breathing and not the pains…or the jealousy. True to the woman's word, the curtain is drawn back in a matter of minutes and an older looking doctor pokes his head in. He smiles at Jason and again it seems as if he knows the man.

"Jason Stackhouse," The doctor says extending his hand. "Long time no see, huh? How's that head?"

Jason shook the man's hand before shrugging and running his hand the back of his head with a smile. "It's fine. Thanks."

The doctor nods, "Swelling seems to have gone down a bit. No nausea?"

"Nope." Jason assures popping the 'p' and resting his hands loosely on his hips.

The doctor nods again, "Good," He then turns to Sarah in the bed and offers her his best conciliating smile and tone, "But I'm guessing you're not here for that. Now, what's going on here Miss…?"

She resists the urge to roll her eyes or remind him that he certainly already knows who she is and it's almost childish to pretend he doesn't. But she knows that she will certainly get more with honey than vinegar and chooses to play along. After all this isn't about _her_, it's about her _baby_. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, she needs this man.

"Sarah." She finishes for him.

He nod once glancing down at her chart and repeats her name for good measure, "Sarah."

He looks back up expectantly, but never drops his smile. Sarah glances at Jason before her hands unlock themselves and fan out over the spot she holds them. "Um, I'm not sure. I've been having pains in my lower abdomen." She looks to Jason again, and he shifts his weight putting his hand on the railing of the bed near her head and leans towards her, "And…"

She trails off, but the doctor seems to get the gist of everything and to both their relief doesn't seem to overly concerned, "Ok, well it's a little early for labor, but I've seen women give birth at this stage and everything turns out just fine." He sets her chart down on the small counter before washing his hands in the sink, talking over his shoulder as he continues, "Now, I'm not saying that's the case in this situation." He must have caught panic streaked across Sarah's face. He turns back to the couple, "Let's just take a look and see what's going on."

Sarah changes into a gown with the help of Jason and the doctor gives them some privacy. When he returns he has the nurse hook Sarah up to a fetal heart monitor before conducting a few exams; some routine and some new, invasive, and uncomfortable. Though she's mildly uncomfortable having Jason there, she's happy she does. She's not sure how she would be able to handle this if she were alone, and the simple gesture of his hand or the simplicity of his just being there seems to keep a calming hand on the situation—he may not love her, but she knows he will never let anything happen to her. He proved that months earlier when he insisted Jessica stop coming by for fear that after her first meeting with Sarah, any meeting after would cause too much stress.

The doctor disappears reassuring them he'll be back in a minute, and that he just needs to get the results to the nurse so she can document them. When he steps back in no more than a few minutes later, he's all smiles and his demeanor instantly calms both of them.

"Ok, well good news. You're not in labor—well, not real labor." He says clapping his hands together. He adds the later part with a slight chuckle. Sarah and Jason exchange a look and he continues, "It's not uncommon at this mark in the pregnancy that your body is beginning to prepare for the job ahead, and to do so sometimes it practices with false or fake contractions."

Sarah takes every word in, and nods understandingly. She now feels foolish—she had just read about those in one of the baby books she'd picked up; how could she have missed all those signs? Jason on the other hand, who Sarah knows has yet to open one book she's bought him, contorts his face in boyish confusion and looks from her back to the doctor, then to her belly.

"So…" He begins slowly, eyes still on her middle. His words are slow and deliberate, "If there are fake ones, how are we supposed to know when the real ones are happening?"

"Well," The doctor chuckles. He turns to Sarah, "You know how these were pretty regular in pain—never getting worse?" She nods. "Well, real contractions will intensify in pain and will get closer and closer together."

Sarah nods, "Ok."

"Trust yourself alright? Instinct'll tell you when you outta come on in, ok?" He pats her leg lightly. "Now, if this happens again there are a couple of things you can do to get rid of them. Sometimes they're brought on by dehydration so try to drink a little more water at this point, Lamaze breathing can help, and sometimes simply changing a position or lying down if you're standing a lot can alleviate them."

Sarah nods again and offers him her first real smile of the night—even if it's a small one, "Ok, thank you."

"Thanks." Jason reaches his hand out and takes the man's once more in a firm shake.

The doctor smile between the two, "Not a problem, it's what I'm here for." He moves towards the curtain and before stepping out says, "Y'all can get on home when you're ready."

Jason nods, "Ok, thanks again."

Sarah dresses—herself this time—and they make their way out of the hospital with a new air of relief. Jason's hands almost permanently placed on the small of her back as they head out of the mechanical doors to the sheriffs car which Jason has left park haphazardly almost on the sidewalk. Sarah chooses to turn her head and ignore the small moment of flashing smiles Jason shares with the blonde nurse from earlier and instead puts far too much focus into getting into the car. She can't help the jealousy that seems to consume her now that the fear of unknown is gone. She knows she shouldn't be jealous, the relationship she shares with Jason is forced at best—he's just being nice and doing what's expected of him as a man but not what he wants. She blinks away the tears that sting her eyes before Jason get's in the car. He offers her a smile before turning it on and pulling away from the building.

The silent car ride home seems to take double the time that the drive to the hospital took. Sarah shifts under the uncomfortable silence feeling as if it's drowning her. She rubs small circles on the side of her belly as she watches the Podunk little southern town flash by in the darkness. With only the silence and the sound of the tires on the gravel, Sarah's mind is free to wander; free of worry.

"Why was he asking about your head?" She says suddenly.

She doesn't mean to say it aloud, but it just slips out. She feels her eyes get wide for a moment before taking on new air of confidence. There are moments when the secure, political, bestselling author that was the new and improved Sarah ex-Newlin would shine through replacing the new quiet more reserved Sarah that mirrored her childhood self. This is one of those moments.

"Hmm?" Jason hums.

She knows he heard her and his unformed request for her to repeat the question leads her to believe he's coming up with an excuse. She doesn't give him the chance to conjure one, "The doctor." She insists. "He asked you how your head was, what happened?"

Jason shrugs, "Oh, nothing." He takes a hand off the wheel to rub the spot he had earlier on his head. He hesitates for a moment wavering on whether or not to divulge the details of a few nights prior, but instead decides to only half of it, "Just got into a little accident the other night working."

Sarah thinks over his words, and any jealousy she's harbored earlier dissipates. She runs her tongue over her lip before prompting a bit more, knowing he was withholding, "Like a car accident?"

Jason sighs, "Yeah."

The lights in Sarah's head click and she looks around the interior. She hasn't ridden an awful lot in his police car, but she has enough to distinguish its interior from another. Jason always kept a weathered old crinkled picture of his parents in the visor and as of late a sonogram picture.

"This isn't your car." Sarah states simply.

Jason shakes his head, "No, they gave me a new one for now." He pauses to think over his words, but there are no gentle way of saying the car had been totaled, "Other one is kinda wrecked."

Sarah turns in her seat to now face him entirely for the first time since getting in the car, "Why didn't you tell me you were in an accident bad enough to land you in the hospital?"

"Because you were asleep." Jason says indifferently. They pass Merlot's and being a creature of habit, Jason cranes his neck to see if he knew any of the cars in the lot as he mumbles, "Didn't want to bother you."

"You wouldn't have bothered me," Sarah insists. There's a hint of agitation in her tone, but it's gone as she continues, "Jason we're about to have a baby. I know this isn't how we planned it, and I know this isn't what you want but we need to be able to confide somewhat in each other and I think a trip to the hospital after a car accident is something we should tell."

"Well, maybe having pains during your pregnancy isn't something to hide either." Jesse mumbles under his breath. It's low, but Sarah knows he's said it loud enough so that she would hear it and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Sarah bites her lower lip as they pull down the long driveway to Jason's house and he pulls the car up to the house as close as he can get it on the driveway. He puts the car in park mulling over her words for a moment before shutting the car off, pulling the keys out of the ignition and turning in his seat to look at Sarah. He studies her for a moment; though she would refute him till she was blue in the face she never looked more beautiful despite the circumstances of the evening.

"Why?" He says suddenly.

Sarah's hand stops on the door handle before opening. She turns to Jason confused, "What do you mean _why_?"

"Why do you think this isn't what I want?" Jason asks bluntly keeping his hands resting upon the wheel but turning to face her. Sarah opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. "No, you're right it's not how we planned it but it's not something I don't want. I mean sure at first it was…I don't know…but over the past few months I kinda saw the old Sarah coming back. The Sarah I spent that night at the church with, not the crazed political—" He realizes how terrible the latter part of his monologue sounds, and he cuts himself off seeing the look on her face. There's a small silence between them before he adds quietly, "Sorry."

"No, you're right." Sarah says letting her hand fall from the handle. She looks down at her other hand on her knee and shakes her head for a moment. When she speaks it's in a barely audible whisper, "I did some awful things Jason. And I know that we don't see eye-to-eye on the whole vampire thing, but I think we can agree I may have taken it to a whole new level."

Jason doesn't know whether to chuckle or slam his fists at her statement. Instead he settles on keeping his tone indifferent and even, "You constructed a sick Vampire-Hunger-Games with my friends Sarah."

She bites her lip to keep the tears at bay, but the thickness still invades her voice. "I know." She swallows the lump. "I'm sorry."

"Look, let's not get into this right now. It's late, we've have a long night. Come on, let's get you to bed. You still feeling any pain?"

"A little, it's not like before." Sarah says letting out a sigh as she rubs her hand over the spot in a soothing circle, applying slight pressure to massage the muscles—a trick she's learned from that time of the month.

"Well, I'll get you some water before bed."

True to his word, he grabs a water bottle for her and untwists the cap before handing it to her. She takes it with a grateful smile before sipping it slowly. She mumbles _thanks_ and before she knows what she's doing her lips are on his cheek. She feels her face blush as she pulls away, but the fact that Jason did nothing to stop her assures it wasn't exactly unwelcomed. With a whispered goodnight, she heads off down the hall to the guest room with Jason on her heels. As she stops at the door and he passes her, but only by a step before turning around to face her.

Jason contorts his face scratching the back of his head, "What are you doing?"

Sarah raises her brow at him, "Going to bed."

"I know," Jason smirks rolling his eyes. Again he asks, "What are you doing?"

Sarah furrows her brow and looks between Jason and her bed through the doorway. Jason sighs with a small smile and feigns irritation as he reaches out to take her hand pulling her along gently with him into his bedroom. Sarah isn't sure what to make of the whole situation—she's never been simply invited into his bedroom without some sort of trade off and if she were honest with herself she really isn't up for it tonight. Jason senses the hesitation and lets go of her hand once they've reached the bed. He kicks off his shoes and slides his jeans and sweatshirt off before turning down the bedding.

"Just sleep." Jason assures her as she stands at the foot of the bed eyeing it warily. He slides under the sheets before patting the spot beside him with a smirk. "Well, come on."

Sarah arches her brow before walking around the bed to the space he designates for her. He helps her push the sheets down before she settles onto the bed. He then draws the blankets up around her, ensnaring her in his arms and pulling her back into his chest. He pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear before nuzzling it with his nose inhaling the scent of her shampoo that always filled the bathroom after she shower—strawberry of some sort. Sarah feels his palm and fingers splay out on her belly and perhaps this is the most intimate they've been superseding any other night she'd spent in his bed.

She wakes the following morning to warm sun on her face and strong arms wrapped around her holding her close. She can feel Jason's rhythmic breathing as his chest rises and falls in-sync with hers and his warm gentle breath on her neck. She can't help but smile a bit at the realization that the night before hadn't been the dream she thought it was. The only sound filling the bedroom is that of their breathing and a birds call from outside the window, and it takes her a moment to realize that there are no more pangs in her belly and for that she's grateful. She shifts only slightly so as not to disturb Jason and the moment, but enough to relieve some of the pressure off her hip. She's about to let herself fall back into slumber when there's a loud incessant knocking on the front door. She stays motionless and keeps her eyes closed tightly, if she ignores them and Jason sleeps through it then there would be no reason to disrupt the moment.

But, that's too much to ask. She feels Jason jump on the second round of knocking and hears him mumbling through his sleep trying to get his bearings. By the third round of knocks, he's fully away and Sarah feels him carefully untangle himself from her. Through cracked eyelids and eyelashes, Sarah watches him pad lightly across the hardwood floor minding the boards he knows creak. When he reaches the door, Sarah shuts her eyes quickly as Jason glances back at her before slipping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. When she's sure he's gone, she opens her eyes entirely frowning slightly at the loss of contact.

She listens carefully as she hears him open the front door and though it's muffled, through the quiet of the morning she can hear him.

"_Hey Sook, what's going on_?"

"_Sam said that Mr. Rodier saw you and Sarah in the hospital last night_," She hears Sookie say, and there's a hint of agitation in her tone. "_I was kinda hopin' y'all wouldn't have gone and had the baby without giving me a call at least_."

"_No_." Jason chuckles slightly. He pauses before continuing, "_No, we wouldn't. No baby, just had to check something_."

"_Everything ok_?" The agitation is replaced with nothing more than concern and precedence.

"_Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. She was just having some fake-contraction-things. We just didn't know what it was so we went in to get everything checked out. She's fine. She's sleeping now_."

Sarah feels herself hold her breath and her heart rate race at the mere mentioning of herself. She braces and holds her breath as if ready to spring into action should the door open and one were to come into call her bluff. But, when she hears Sookie's voice once more, she lets the breath she's been holding out in a quiet huff.

"_Oh_."

"_Yeah_, _so_…" Jason trails off.

"_Were you sleeping too? I'm sorry I woke ya, I just wanted to make sure everything was ok and that I didn't miss anything."_

"_Nope, you didn't_." Jason assures once more. "_And trust me you'd be the first to know when it happens_."

"_Ok, well I'll let you get back to what…whatever it is you were doing_." There's a pause in their conversation and Sarah feels her stomach drop at the thought of what the pair could be discussing quietly out of her earshot. Was Jason rolling his eyes at the underlying notion his sister was implying? Did he simply invite her into his bed to sleep out of mere sympathy and nothing more? Before her mind could wander any further Sookie's voice rings out once more. "_You working later? Why don't you come on in for dinner. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever_."

"_I'm not working till third shift, but I'll come in for dinner anyway_." Jason answers.

They sound closer now, just as they did when Jason first opened the door. Sarah knows he's now leading her out or she's simply leaving on her own—she rarely spends more than five minutes at the house since Sarah's moved in and it's no secret as to why.

"_Just you_?" Sookie queries.

There's a pause before Jason answers, "_Yeah, just me_."

"_What about Sarah?"_

Sarah holds her breath once more, knitting her brow as she rolls back onto her other side as if doing so will give her ears better access. Why would Sookie even want her at the restaurant?

"_No, no_." She hears Jason answer curtly on her behalf. "_It's alright. She doesn't wanna come_."

"_Well, alright. I'll see you later then_."

Sarah's mouth falls open just slightly and her brow holds its confused contort. Perhaps the kindness he'd showed her the night before was nothing more that sympathy and worry for his unborn child rather than herself. She brings one hand up to rest on the side of her belly as a small kicking stretch comes from within. Sarah feels tears spring into her eyes and she looks up to the ceiling in an effort to keep them from clouding her vision or spilling down her cheeks. She knew all of this was just too much to be true—somehow she felt she deserved it. This would be her life from here on out—miserable and unloved in a forced relationship held together by the strings of an unborn child whom once born would no longer tether the two together considering they could split the child's time. Her mood quickly shifted as she wiped the few tears that slipped down her cheek –she was strong than this. If Jason didn't want to be seen in public with her then he certainly wouldn't get the satisfaction of her company in bed.

She pushes herself up with some difficulty, but using the nightstand she's easily able to stand quickly. She wants to be far from his bedroom when he's returned. She's just at the door when it swings open and Jason appears on the other side. Both jump slightly, not expecting the other.

"Sarah?" Jason says genuinely surprised.

She offers him a meek smile as she states simply, "I'm just gonna go shower." She tries to brush past him, but he stands where he is blocking the doorway.

Jason furrows his brow as he glances at the clock on the nightstand—8:34am. "Oh, well are you sure? It's Sunday." He pauses, holding his ground before her. Running a hand over the back of his neck he adds, "I don't have to be at work till 8:00 tonight and after last night I kinda figured we'd just spend the day in bed. You should be resting."

His concern only agitates her more now that she knows all of this has simply been either a façade or out of concern for their child only. She inhales a breath sharply through her nose.

"I'm fine." Sarah says, her tone clipped and wavering as she tries to fight the tears that threaten to come. She clears her throat and blinks them away, knowing she can always blame it on baby hormones, before adding, "You sleep, you're gonna be up all night. I'm just going to shower and probably catnap in my room. I'll make sure I'm up to make you breakfast before you leave though."

"Sarah…" He trails off. He doesn't get the question out, but she knows what it is.

She nods and says, "I'm fine." Jason just stares, and Sarah sighs as she assures once more, "I'm fine."

Before she can get past him, he steps into the bedroom and reaches out and catches her off guard pulling her close to him. Something he's never actually done before and for a brief second Sarah feels like this is a real relationship—that they're a happy couple and the sensation is odd. Jason seems completely at ease however as his boyish grin plays on his face and gentle concern alights his eyes.

"Alright, well how about later tonight I'll make dinner and we can watch a movie or something." He shrugs pulling her as close as her midsection will allow. "I'm gonna call the station and let them know I need to take the night off completely."

"But I thought you had third shift." Sarah asks simply, her tone distracted as his arms hold her.

"It's fine. I've been saving some time up for when the baby actually comes." He runs his hands up and down her back gently as he continues, "Just in case there's nights when you need a night off, or you get a little overwhelmed, or we simply want to have a family night."

"Family night?" Sarah asks narrowing her eyes in slight confusion, letting the two word question hang between them.

"Sure." Jason shrugs, his tone indicating it's that it's the simplest concept in the world. "I mean they'll be too young for _Monopoly_ right out of the womb, but I think we can start them on Guess Who, or even _Shoots and Ladders_…_Candyland_."

Sarah arches her brow at him skeptically, but she can't keep the small from creeping onto her lips. Maybe the ties that bind them would hold them together strong enough that both parties would raise this child together in a home and not just a house.

"Go shower, and if you want to come back to bed. I think I wanna sleep a little longer." He presses a light kiss to the corner of her mouth before pulling back and tucking a loose blonde lock behind her ear, "When I get up, if you can wait, I'll make breakfast."

He adds the latter part with a wink before pressing one last kiss to her forehead and letting his arms fall. Sarah stands on the threshold of the bedroom as she watches Jason head back to his bed. She studies his back for a moment trying to figure him out unable to keep the small smile from tugging at the corners of her lips. Maybe they could be the family she's dreamed she'd have since she was ten-years-old. Perhaps, just maybe there was still hope.


End file.
